There is an old Latin phrase that’s engraved into stone: Repetitio mater studiorum est | Repetition is the mother of all learning. Even though it’s such an old phrase modern research on principles of learning back up this truth.
This weekend I was playing the piano at Church. A girl who played a simple song for us came to me later and asked how long I had been playing the piano. Her question took me back in time 50 years and reminded me how, what now comes second nature to me, was once difficult.
I recalled the hours of repetitive practice I dedicated to learning to play. I told her that at her age I used to practice 45 minutes every day, later on 2 hours, and later still 4 hours a day.
My teachers knew that without massive repetition, I would never internalize, refine, understand and instinctively own the needed technique to play well. To get really good at playing you had to practiced outside of class too. And practiced a lot!
Boring, I hear you say? This type of seemingly endless repetition of scales and arpeggios, for example, can indeed seem boring, especially to beginners. But it brought agility to my fingers and precision to my playing.
I especially remember the patience of one of my teachers who would make me repeat a small passage in his presence over, and over, and over again until I was able to master the exact phrasing, expression, and clean technique needed. As he predicted, once I conquered the difficult passage, it has stayed with me forever.
Repetition and leadership
Likewise, you can ensure that your messages become part of the culture of the organization through repetition. Don’t be short-sighted or frustrated when you have to tell something more than once. It is the power of repetition that changes people and reinforces your message.
Leadership communication is about repetition, whether you like it or not. Repetition might sound boring, but it is one of the most effective workplace communication tools.
Do you really want organizational alignment, collaboration, and high performance? Repetition is indispensable.
Say it again, and again, and again! – a person begins to believe what she hears and begins to internalize it after she listens to the same message over and over several times.
Remember. . .
Pick a message you want to spread and keep on saying it everywhere. Say it every time with the utmost conviction and sincerity.
I can help you and the leaders that report to you have more effective communication. To find out more, simply click here.
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